Develop Reference

Java .xml creating a drawable button background

New to programming, 3 weeks beginner.
I am making a button with stacked rectangles through drawable xml.
This is my button .xml code, very straight forward:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<android.support.constraint.ConstraintLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:background="#D5A04F"
tools:context=".MainActivity">
<android.support.design.widget.NavigationView
<Button
android:id="#+id/leftnavbar"
android:layout_width="212dp"
android:layout_height="279dp"
android:layout_marginTop="16sp"
android:layout_marginBottom="500sp"
android:background="#drawable/rounded_rectangle"
/>
</android.support.design.widget.NavigationView>
</android.support.constraint.ConstraintLayout>
and this is my drawable .xml
<layer-list xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:paddingBottom="#dimen/mr_dialog_fixed_width_minor"
android:paddingTop="#dimen/mr_dialog_fixed_width_major"
>
<item
android:top="5sp"
android:left="5sp"
android:right="5sp"
android:bottom="50sp">
<shape android:shape="rectangle">
<solid android:color="#D3AE71" />
<corners android:radius="20sp"/>
</shape>
</item>
<item
android:top="30sp"
android:left="30sp"
android:right="30sp"
android:bottom="600sp">s
<shape android:shape="rectangle">
<solid android:color="#E6E5E5" />
<corners android:radius="20sp"/>
</shape>
</item>
<item
android:top="160sp"
android:left="30sp"
android:right="30sp"
android:bottom="470sp">
<shape android:shape="rectangle">
<solid android:color="#E6E5E5" />
<corners android:radius="20sp"/>
</shape>
</item>
<item
android:top="290sp"
android:left="30sp"
android:right="30sp"
android:bottom="340sp">
<shape android:shape="rectangle">
<solid android:color="#E6E5E5" />
<corners android:radius="20sp"/>
</shape>
</item>
<item
android:top="420sp"
android:left="30sp"
android:right="30sp"
android:bottom="210sp"
>
<shape android:shape="rectangle">
<solid android:color="#E6E5E5" />
<corners android:radius="20sp"/>
</shape>
</item>
<item
android:top="550sp"
android:left="30sp"
android:right="30sp"
android:bottom="80sp">
<shape android:shape="rectangle">
<solid android:color="#E6E5E5" />
<corners android:radius="20sp"/>
</shape>
</item>
</layer-list>
The only item that is shown in drawable is the first, the rest of the rectangles fail to show.
Suggestions or pointers to the reason will be much apreciated. thank you for your time and attention...

First of all please do not use "sp" for things other than text font size.
Second, pls look into excessive size of your android:bottom, like 600sp for example - they are leaving no space for respective shapes.

Your button's height is too short,chang android:layout_height="279dp" to android:layout_height="700dp"

why doesn't drawable apears on Button?

I am a newbie in Java-Android developing.
I want to add this drawable on a view like button's background
but it doesn't draw anything.
This is my background drawable_shining.xml:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<layer-list xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" >
<item>
<shape>
<gradient
android:endColor="#000"
android:centerColor="#111"
android:startColor="#000"
android:angle="45"
android:type="linear" />
</shape>
</item>
<item>
<shape>
<gradient
android:endColor="#000"
android:gradientRadius="100"
android:startColor="#555"
android:type="radial" />
</shape>
</item>
</layer-list>
[here is code and layout][1]

according to documentation layer-list is a drawable object that manages an array of other drawables. Each drawable in the list is drawn in the order of the list—the last drawable in the list is drawn on top.
Each drawable is represented by an element inside a single element.
in your code, write each <shape> in <item> tag. Your final code will be look like this,
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<layer-list xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" >
<item>
<shape>
<gradient
android:endColor="#000"
android:gradientRadius="100"
android:startColor="#333"
android:type="radial" />
</shape>
</item>
<item>
<shape>
<gradient
android:endColor="#000"
android:gradientRadius="100"
android:startColor="#333"
android:type="radial" />
</shape>
</item>

You can use same format like below code :
Reference : angrytools
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<shape xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" android:shape="rectangle" >
<corners
android:radius="14dp"
/>
<gradient
android:angle="45"
android:centerX="35%"
android:centerColor="#47A891"
android:startColor="#E8E8E8"
android:endColor="#000000"
android:type="linear"
/>
<padding
android:left="0dp"
android:top="0dp"
android:right="0dp"
android:bottom="0dp"
/>
<size
android:width="270dp"
android:height="60dp"
/>
<stroke
android:width="3dp"
android:color="#878787"
/>
</shape>

Android Shape Rectangle with 2 colors

I need to make a custom rectangle that should use hex colors from #bff54a up to #88c010.
Actually I have this xml but I can only use one of those colors. How can I make the gradient possible? I already searched and I didn't found anything like this.
<shape xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:shape="rectangle" >
<stroke
android:width="1dp"
android:color="#color/gray_light" />
<solid android:color="#88c010" />
<corners
android:bottomLeftRadius="8dp"
android:bottomRightRadius="8dp"
android:topLeftRadius="8dp"
android:topRightRadius="8dp" />
</shape>
Thanks to all!

Use Gradient as the color of the Drawable :
<shape xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:shape="rectangle" >
<stroke
android:width="1dp"
android:color="#color/gray_light" />
<gradient
android:type="linear"
android:centerX="0"
android:centerY="1"
android:startColor="#bff54a"
android:endColor="#88c010" />
<corners
android:bottomLeftRadius="8dp"
android:bottomRightRadius="8dp"
android:topLeftRadius="8dp"
android:topRightRadius="8dp" />
</shape>
See Drawable Resources

You can create file shape and implement this code
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<item>
<shape xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:shape="rectangule"> <!-- oval -->
<gradient
android:startColor="#388E3C"
android:endColor="#448AFF"
android:centerColor="#color/colorPrimary"
/>
</shape>
</item>
</selector>
Result

Add a stroke on top of a layout

I have the following XML code:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<shape xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" >
<stroke
android:width="0dp"
android:color="#CCFFFFFF" />
<solid android:color="#55FFFFFF" />
<padding
android:left="0dp"
android:right="0dp"
android:top="0dp"
android:bottom="0dp" />
<corners android:topLeftRadius="0dp" android:topRightRadius="0dp" android:bottomLeftRadius="8dp" android:bottomRightRadius="8dp" />
</shape>
which produces the following:
How do I modify the code so there is a black line on the top like this:

You can add above the text and below the shape in xml file this code
<View
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="1dp"
android:background="#000000" />

You should do what with nine-patch or insert View widget with height 1dp (or more) and black background above this TextView.

when the color of the top layer IS NOT semi-transparent, there is a fast, versatil, and clean, to add borders to a view, with layerlist drawable.
Probably you couldnt use it in your case, but it this will be handful to somebody else who reach this question
for this, you create an xml file in you drawable folder, called border.xml with this content:
<layer-list xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" >
<item>
<shape
android:shape="rectangle">
<padding android:left="0dp" android:top="0dp" android:right="0dp"
android:bottom="0dp" />
<solid android:color="#000000" />
</shape>
</item>
<item >
<shape
android:shape="rectangle">
<padding android:left="0dp" android:top="10dp" android:right="0dp"
android:bottom="0dp" />
<solid android:color="#ffffff" />
</shape>
</item>
</layer-list>
Then in your layout, you use
android:background="#drawable/border"
with this you have a way to quickly add borders, to one, or more sides of any view.

Create own styles in Android

Every time I try to customize the style of a view I have the same problem.
What parameters can I change; and how to override the system defaults? For example:
How to change the highlighted color of a element of a ListView when clicked
How to change the default frame of a DialogFragment? I mean the frame that is removed with the Style DialogFragment.STYLE_NO_FRAME.
Where can I check what are the values I should play with for achieve my custom layouts?
Thanks

Well you can change the look by creating a new xml file in the drawable folder but dont make a layout xml jus pick andrid xml from the wizard and it will give u a list of components you can modify including colour.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<layer-list xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" >
<item>
<shape android:shape="rectangle">
<solid android:color="#android:color/black" />
</shape>
</item>
<item android:top="1dp" android:left="2dp" android:right="2dp" android:bottom="25dp">
<shape android:shape="rectangle">
<solid android:color="#android:color/holo_purple" />
</shape>
</item>
<item android:top="1dp" android:left="400dp" android:right="2dp" android:bottom="1dp">
<shape android:shape="rectangle">
<solid android:color="#android:color/holo_purple" />
<corners android:bottomRightRadius="7dp"
android:bottomLeftRadius="7dp" android:topLeftRadius="7dp"
android:topRightRadius="7dp" />
</shape>
</item>
<item android:top="1dp" android:left="2dp" android:right="400dp" android:bottom="1dp">
<shape android:shape="rectangle">
<solid android:color="#android:color/holo_purple" />
<corners android:bottomRightRadius="7dp"
android:bottomLeftRadius="7dp" android:topLeftRadius="7dp"
android:topRightRadius="7dp" />
</shape>
</item>
</layer-list>
then you can just change whats required!
But provider some code and i will be able to answer better..